Advocacy and Campaigns Director

Position description

Freedom Now is an international non-governmental organization that protects individuals and communities from government repression and defends human rights through direct legal support, targeted high-leverage advocacy, documentation and analysis of human rights abuses, and support for capacity-building. Since its founding more than 20 years ago, Freedom Now has systematically sought to end the practice of arbitrary detention by providing pro bono legal representation to hundreds of prisoners of conscience and victims of human rights violations throughout the world. Alongside this casework, we engage in campaigns and initiatives to combat oppressive laws and corrupt institutions that threaten civil society and democratic norms. For more information about our work, please visit our website at www.freedom-now.org

Position Description:

Freedom Now is seeking a full-time Advocacy and Campaigns Director to help advance the organization’s mission of protecting individuals and communities from government repression and defending human rights. The director will be responsible for the development and implementation of global advocacy strategies and public campaigns on specific human rights issues, as well as on specific cases. The director will work closely with the Executive Director and partner organizations in setting objectives and ensuring that programmatic goals are met.

Successful candidates will be collaborative, passionate about advancing human rights and the rule of law through international advocacy efforts, and knowledgeable about a wide range of countries, with particular emphasis on Eurasia and Central Asia. Experience in building advocacy campaigns, including engaging influential lawmakers and policymakers in friendly countries, is essential. Familiarity with the US Congress is strongly desired. The ideal candidate will be a unique and creative thinker who thrives in an environment where a premium is placed on effective communication, tenacity, adaptability, and being a self-starter. Experience developing and executing public communication campaigns is desired. The director will report to and work closely with the Executive Director.

This position will be based in Washington, DC; London; or Brussels, with some travel as required. The expected salary for the position is $80,000, but exact compensation for this position will be commensurate with experience and location. 

Position Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement an ambitious, innovative advocacy plan for individual project countries, with an emphasis on the Eurasia and Central Asia regions;

• Develop and implement public campaigns and advocacy strategies for prisoners of conscience represented by Freedom Now;

• Cultivate and build relationships with partner organizations and activists and build a working coalition of NGOs and experts;

• Liaise regularly with staff and partner organizations to ensure up-to-date information about fundamental human rights issues and political insight;

• Establish relationships with key policy makers, officials, and other influential stakeholders in Washington, DC, Brussels, Geneva and elsewhere;

• Identify and facilitate impactful advocacy initiatives;

• Prepare timely, high quality, and impactful advocacy and communications materials, including briefing papers, talking points, government and organizational sign-on letters, in-depth thematic reports, opinion articles, blog posts, and press releases;

• Represent and speak on behalf of Freedom Now at public events, meetings, and to the media;

• Ability and willingness to travel; and

• Comply with any and all internal and donor-related reporting requirements and other administrative duties as required.

Qualifications

• Post graduate or advanced degree in human rights, law, or a related discipline is preferred;

• A minimum of five years of professional experience in a legislative/parliamentary body or NGO sector engaged in government relations and/or advocacy;

• Established relationships with key US and international policy maker staff and US and international government officials is ideal;

• Excellent instincts and political judgment;

• Extensive experience with developing and implementing advocacy strategies and mobilizing effective campaigns;

• Experience in developing and implementing a communications strategy, utilizing traditional and social media;

• Experience with synthesizing complex information into concise proposals and results-driven asks;

• First-rate project management skills;

• Exceptionally strong communication, research, writing, and editing skills and the ability to turn around high quality work quickly;

• Familiarity with international human rights law and institutions;

• Familiarity with the political and human rights landscapes in a wide range of countries, particularly those in Eurasia and Central Asia;

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team, communicating effectively with colleagues and a diverse group of partners;

• High levels of ambition, energy, drive, dynamism, determination, and focus;

• Fluent in English; fluency in a second language highly desirable; and

• Eligibility to work in the United States, the United Kingdom or the European Union.

Application instructions

Interested candidates should submit a CV along with cover letter, three references, and an appropriate writing sample. Applications submitted without these materials will not be considered. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position will be filled once a suitable candidate has been selected, which may occur prior to the deadline. Due to the high volume of qualified applicants, please understand we will only be able to follow-up with individuals who have been selected for an interview.

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